Oversize pool ball rack with resiliently biased ball compressing element



May 31, 1966 INVENTOR. CURTISS L. COOK.

ATTORNEIl United States Patent O 3,253,826 OVERSHZE POUL BALL RACK WITH RESILIENTLY BIASED BALL COMPRESSING ELEMENT Curtiss L. Cook, Liverpool, N.Y., assignor of two-thirds to Beirut Express Co. Inc., Syracuse, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Nov. 1S, 1963, Ser. No. 324,338 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-22) This invention relates to the game of pool, also known as pocket pool or pocket billiards, as played on pocket pool tables, land more particularly to a rack for pyramiding the fifteen balls at the commencement of the game.

In the game of poo-l it is customary to rack the fifteen numbered balls in a tri-angular frame to form a pyramid, with the number fifteen ball on what is known as the foot spot. After forming the fifteen balls in a pyramid, the frame is removed. Thereafter the player favored to commence the game sends the cue ball into the pyramid for the break. A satisfactory break, scatters the balls so as to permit the initial player -to effect -a maximum number of subsequent plays, directing the balls in sequence into various pockets, without a miss, for once the initial player misses a pocket, his turn enfds, and his opponent takes over. It is the consensus of opinion among players, that the best break, .and the best opportunity for the initial player lto control the break to his own benefit, results from having the pyramid of fifteen balls disposed in tight contact with one another, when the racking frame is removed. The racking frame, lwhich is an eq-uilateral triangular frame, must of necessity fit around the fifteen balls relatively loosely, to permit the removal without disturbing the balls. `In an attempt to rack the fifteen balls so that adjacent balls are in contact, when the rack is removed, the rack is slightly gyrated, .to bring the balls into contact, or Kthe person racking may use his finger to push the five balls in the lower row towards the apex ball, to place the balls in contact, before removing the triangular rack. Such practice is time consuming, and results in contentions by the starting player as to whether the pyramid of fifteen balls were in fact in contact with one another, to provide what is regarded as the optimum setup for effecting a skillfully controlled break. The diameter of regulation balls used in pool is two and one quarter inches. The regulation frames supplied for racking the balls is approximately five-sixteenths of an inch oversize, to permit removal of the frame Without disturbing Ithe balls, when pyramided. This clearance however renders it difficult to pyramid the balls in contact with one another.

The present invention is directed at an improved triangular rack for assuring pyramiding of the balls in contact, while providing clear-ance to remove the rack without disturbing the balls, once the pyramid with balls in contact has been effected.

More particularly the invention is directed to a rack in which one side is provided with a movable member adapted to be manually pressed tangentially against the base line of five balls to compress the entire fifteen balls into contact with their adjacent balls, after which the movable member is resiliently retracted to return the rack to its oversize dimension, so that clearance exists for removal of the rack from the pyramid without disturbing the fifteen balls racked in contact with one another.

'Ille above and other novel features of lthe invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and vare not designed as a definition of the limits` of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

FlGURE 1 is a plan 'View of the slack take up device which may be readily applied to a triangular rack;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the slack take up device;

lFIGURE 3 is a section taken on the line 3--3 of FIG- URE yl;

FIGURE 4 is a plan View of a modified form of slack take up device built into a triangular rack;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation, and p FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of IFIGURE 4.

Referring to IFIGURES l to 3, there is shown a triangular rack 16 as is customarily used in the racking of fifteen balls in pyramid formation. Such racks are provided over sizeabout 5/16 of an inch, so that in placing the fifteen balls in position, with the apex ball on the head spot, the rack is readily remo-ved. yIn order to squeeze the fifteen balls k15 into tight contact with one another, there is provided along one side 118 of the rack a channel member 20 having a flange 22 inside of the frame, and a flange 2f4 outside of the frame joined by a web member 26 extending over the upper edge of the frame. The flanges -need not be more than about a half of the height of the frame, which frame in practice is about one and onefourth inches high, since the inside flange will tangentially cont-act the base line of five balls at a height of about one -andone-eighth inches above the table, or the radius of the balls. The flanges 2f2 and 24 wi-ll be spaced about three-eighths to a half an inch plus the thickness of the iframe side. Aflixed to the inside of the outer flange adjacent the center thereof, as by rivets 28 is an elongated spring steel leaf spring 30, whose outer extremities are rounded las at 32, and adapted .to bear upon the outside surface of the frame side 118 to which the channel is applied. The ends may be secured to the side of the frame by screws 34 passing through slots 36. The channel flange on the inside will be at least nine and .a half inches long so as to be enabled to tangentially lcontact the surfaces cf the base line of five balls simultaneously.

When it is desired to rack a set of balls into a compact pyramid, the frame will be laid over 4the fifteen balls in the usual surrounding fashion, and the apex ball an'd frame moved to place the same on the foot spot. Thereafter by finger and thumb pressure on the flange 24, the channel member will 'be moved inwardly of the iframe t0 thrust the base row of balls 'toward the apex to compact all fifteen balls into tight engagement. Thereafter the thumb pressure on the flange 24 is relaxed, the spring 30 returning the channel member to its position with its inside Iflange lying against the inside face of the frame, whereupon after moving the frame slightly toward the apex ball, adequate clearance is provided for the lifting of the frame from the pyramid of balls without disturbing the balls asset up. It will be understood that the screws 30 and slots 3Q. may be eliminated, whereby the .device can be applied or removed from any frame, the pressure of the spring leaf being sufficient to friction-ally hold the device in place.

In the modification shown in FIGURES 4 to 6 inclusive, an angle sectioned member 40 is disposed on the inside and upper face of one side 42 of the triangle. Guide posts 44 and 46, having reduced diameter portions riveted as at l47 in apertures in the angled sectioned members, extend outwardly through apertures 48 in the triangle frame. A leaf spring 50 is affixed to the frame side 42 at its center as at 52, and its opposite ends are provided with apertures 54 to receive screws '56- threaded into the ends of the posts 44 and 46. The spring ends 58 and 60 extend beyond the posts to provide convenient thumb bearing ends for manipulation of the device in the same manner as the previous modification. By pressing the spring ends 58 and 60 toward the frame 42, the angle sectioned member 40 is thrust tangentially against the tive balls in the base line, to cause all the balls in the frame to `be moved into tight engagement. Thereafter thumb pressure on the spring ends is rel-axed to allow the angle member 40 to return. The triangle frame is then `moved slightly toward the apex ball to provide clearance all around, after which the frame is lifted from the pyramid of balls in tight contact, without disturbing the balls.

It will be understood that when the fifteen balls are pressed into tight engagement, the felt of the pool table affords suiicient friction against rolling of the balls out of engagement, so that by merely relaxing the pressure on the spring, and allowing the ball engaging member to return to its position along the ins-ide face of one side of the triangle, the triangle is thereafter r-eadily removed from the ball formation thus established Without disturbing the formation.

While one modification of the invention illustrated may be quickly applied to or removed from existing frames, and the other is adapted to be a part of the frame, it is -to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto.

As va-rious changes in the construction and arrangement may be made Without departing from the spi-rit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimedis:

1. A pool ball racking device comprising an equilateral triangular frame, a channel sectioned member disposed over an edge of the frame, and having one flange lying along the inside surface of one side of the frame, said flange being of a length to tangentially Contact a base r-ow of a pyramid of balls in the frame, and another flange disposed outside of the frame in spaced relation to the one side of the frame, and yielding means between said last named flange and the frame side for yieldably resist- -ing movement of the channel member and said one flange toward a row of balls with-in the frame.

2. `In a pool ball racking device for use on an equilateral pool ball racking frame, a channel sectioned member having a flange of suicient length to tangentially contact five pool balls disposed in a row, said member having a second flange spaced from the first and joined thereto by a web, said web being of a width at least as great as the combined thickness of one sideof the frame plus the amount the frame is oversize in reference to the balls, and resilient means adapted to bear against the outside of the side of the frame affixed to the inside surface of said second flange.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 464,745 12/1891 Sweet 273-22 484,562 10/1892 Sweet 273-22 743,464 ll/ 1903 DAbramo 273-22 916,193 3/1909 Pierce 273-22 1,052,461 2/1913 Chase 273-22 2,405,677 8/ l946| Volpe 273-22 2,422,939 6/1947 Volpe 273-2-2 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

GERALD L. PRICE, Assz'statnif Examiner. 

1. A POOL BALL RACKING DEVICE COMPRISING AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLAR FRAME, A CHANNEL SECTIONAL MEMBER DISPOSED OVER AN EDGE OF THE FRAME, AND HAVING ONE FLANGE LYING ALONG THE INSIDE OF ONE SIDE OF THE FRAME, SAID FLANGE BEING OF A LENGTH TO TANGENTIALLY CONTACT A BASE ROW OF A PYRAMID OF BALLS IN THE FRAME, AND ANOTHER FLANGE DISPOSED OUTSIDE OF THE FRAME IN SPACED RELATION TO THE ONE SIDE OF THE FRAME, AND YIELDING MEANS BETWEEN SAID LAST NAMED FLANGE AND THE FRAME SIDE FOR YIELDABLY RESISTING MOVEMENT OF THE CHANNEL MEMBER AND SAID ONE FLANGE TOWARD A ROW OF BALLS WIHTIN THE FRAME. 